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Theories of Cognitive Development: Lev Vygotsky

Born in Orsha, a part of the Russian Empire (no knon as Belarus! on "#th $ovem%er"&', Vygotsky as a pioneer of psy)hology* he )ontri%ute+ mu)h important resear)h to the fiel+ -e gra+uate+ from the .os)o /tate 0niversity in "'"#, an+ ent on to or k in many resear)h fa)ilities an+ an+ e+u)ational esta%lishments in .os)o, Leningra+an+ 1harkov -is e2tensive resear)h into )ognitive +evelopment has lea+ his theory to %e one of the most important of it3s kin+ -e %elieve+ that )hil+ren3s thinking is affe)te+ %y their so)ial knole+ge, hi)h are )ommuni)ate+ %y either psy)hologi)al (language, num%er, art! or te)hni)al (%ooks, )al)ulator! means -e as 4 an+ sometimes still is 4 oft

en )riti)ise+ for %eing an i+ealist an+ his overemphasis of the role of language in thinking (more on the )riti)isms later! -e as also a very popular author, ith volumes of his ork %eing )lasse+ as ma5or

Vygotsky rarely )on+u)te+ resear)h* he as more fo)use+ on )onstru)ting the %est possi%le theory on the transfer of knole+ge 0nfortunately, Vygotsky +ie+ at the very young age of 6# in "'67 from Tu%er)ulosis, %ut on)e his main ork as translate+ to Englishin "'8, it ha+ a ma5or impa)t on other psy)hologi)al resear)h in similar fiel+s

Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development

 9s state+ a%ove, Vygotsky %elieve+ )hil+ren3s thinking is affe)te+ %y their knole+ge ofthe so)ial )ommunity (hi)h is learnt from either te)hni)al or psy)hologi)al )ultural tools! -e also suggeste+ that language is the most important tool for gaining this so)ial knole+ge* the )hil+ )an %e taught this from other people via language -e +efine+ intelligen)e as the )apa)ity to learn from instru)tion;, hi)h emphasises the fa)t there is a re<uirement for a more knole+ga%le other person or =tea)her3 -e referre+ to them as 5ust that: the More Knowledgable Other  (.1O! .1O3s )an %e parents, a+ults, tea)hers, )o

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a)hes, e2perts>professionals 4 %ut also things you might not first e2pe)t, su)h as )hil+ren, frien+s an+ )omputers

-e +es)ri%e+ something knon as the zone of proximal development (?@D!, hi)h isa key feature of his theory There are to levels of attainment for the ?@D:

•€Level " 4 the =present level of +evelopment3 This +es)ri%es hat the )hil+ is )apa%le of +

oing ithout any help from others

•€Level 8 4 the =potential level of +evelopment3 This means hat the )hil+ )oul+ potentially%e )apa%le of ith help from other people or =tea)hers3

The gap %eteen level " an+ 8 (the present an+ potential +evelopment! is hat Vygotsky +es)ri%e+ as this Aone of pro2imal +evelopment -e %elieve+ that through help from other, more knole+ga%le people, the )hil+ )an potentially gain knole+ge alrea+y hel+ %y them -oever, the knole+ge must %e appropriate for the )hil+3s level of )omprehension 9nything that is too )ompli)ate+ for the )hil+ to learn that isn3t in their ?@D )annot%e learnt at all until there is a shift in the ?@D hen a )hil+ +oes attain their potential, this shift o))urs an+ the )hil+ )an )ontinue learning more )omple2, higher level material

 9nother important feature of this theory is scaffolding hen an a+ult provi+es supportfor a )hil+, they ill a+5ust the amount of help they give +epen+ing on their progress or e2ample, a )hil+ learning to alk might at first have %oth their han+s hel+ an+ pulle+ upar+s 9s they learn to support their on eight, the mother might hol+ %oth their han+s loosely Then she might 5ust hol+ one han+, then eventually nothing This progression of +ifferent levels of help is s)affol+ing t +ras parallels from real s)affol+ing for %uil+ings* it is use+ as a support for )onstru)tion of ne material (the skill>information to %e learnt! an+ then remove+ on)e the %uil+ing is )omplete (the skill>information has %een learnt!

Woods and Middleton ("'#! stu+ie+ the influen)e of instru)tion ith their e2perimentThey provi+e+ 6F7 year ol+s ith a puAAle hi)h as %eyon+ their )omprehension on th

eir own. The mother then provi+e+ +ifferent levels of assistan)e for the )hil+:

•€L" 4 General ver%al instru)tion (Very goo+H $o try that again;!

•€L8 4 /pe)ifi) ver%al instru)tion (Get four %ig %lo)ks;!

•€L6 4 .other in+i)ates material (Iou nee+ this %lo)k here;!

•€L7 4 .other provi+es material an+ prepares it for assem%ly

•€L 4 .other +emonstrates the operation

 9fter the session, the )hil+ as assesse+ on hether they )oul+ )onstru)t the pyrami+on their on Results shoe+ that hen )hil+ren ere given varie+ support from mother s (lo levels of support hen the )hil+ as +oing ell, an+ high levels hen the )hil+ str uggle+! they ere a%le to )onstru)t the pyrami+ on their on -oever, hen the mother )onsistently provi+e+ the same support, they seeme+ to make the )hil+ )on)lu+e the a)tivity as %eyon+ their )omprehension an+ the )hil+ soon lost interest in )onstru)ting t

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he pyrami+ This shos the importan)e of provi+ing the )orre)t level of s)affol+ing hen tea)hing a learner

 9s a final point, Vygotsky looke+ at the role of ego)entri)>private spee)h This is, for e2ample, hen a )hil+ ill sit on their on an+ speak their thoughts out lou+ as they play -e suggeste+ a )hil+ is regulating an+ planning their %ehaviour at this point: here is th

e %lo)kJ )an3t fin+ it Oh ell, 3ll use this %lo)k; -e )alle+ these =monologues3

By # years, these monologues %e)ome internaliAe+ an+ the )hil+ %e)omes a ver%al thinker;, hi)h is hat most a+ults )an +o ith no pro%lem hen e are fa)e+ ith a pro%lem, an+ e3re alone, e <uite often think through the pro%lem 4 %ut in our hea+s Chil+ren %efore # ill +o this out lou+ This ver%al thinking forms the %asis for higher level,more a%stra)t thinking (planning, reasoning, memoriAing, evaluating!

Qick smmary

•€Emphasise+ the role of a tea)her in )ognitive +evelopment, an+ the nee+ to have suppor 

t from a .ore 1nole+ga%le Other, or .1O

•€The Aone of pro2imal +evelopment, or ?@D, +ifferentiates %eteen a learner3s )urrent +evelopment an+ their potential +evelopment hen %eing taught from a .1O

•€/)affol+ing provi+es an effe)tive ay to rea)h potential levels of +evelopment, %ut only hen +ifferent levels of assistan)e are given hen re<uire+

•€/o)ial an+ )ultural tools are an important means of gaining intelligen)e

•€There is a )lose link %eteen the a)<uisition of language an+ the +evelopment of thinkin

g

•€nternalising monologues, an+ therefore %e)oming a ver%al thinker, is a stepping stone tohigher levels of thinking

Vygotsky provi+e+ a very influential theory hi)h provi+e+ a meaningful so)ial )onte2t in the +evelopment of learning The emphasis of )ultural knole+ge as something unseen in @iaget3s theory n the ne2t post, ill %e evaluating %oth of the )ognitive theories(that of Kean @iaget an+ Lev Vygotsky! an+ then )omparing an+ evaluating them against ea)h other